Lemon Meringue Bars

So in the last week or so Ive gone crazy with cooking. This one was my absolute fave recipe I tried this week.

Lemon Meringue Bars are yummy and surprisingly simple. Though I must say if you're going to attempt these (well, the whipped meringue topping)I would suggest you at least invest in a hand mixer. It is very hard to whip the meringue by hand with a wisk, as forewarning YES I TRIED.
Anyway, Onward.

INGREDIENTS

Lemon Meringue Bars

INGREDIENTS

Makes 12, round about.

• 2 sticks (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons confectioners sugar
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest (buy more than one lemon to zest)
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 6 large eggs, plus 4 large egg whites
• 2 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions

· Preheat oven to 350. Make crust: Put butter, flour, confectioners sugar, 2 teaspoons lemon zest, and the salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until well blended.

· Transfer mixture to a 9-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet. Press batter evenly into baking sheet. Chill in freezer 10 minutes.

Bake until golden, 20 to 22 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

· Make filling: Whisk together whole eggs, 1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, the lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons lemon zest. Pour over crust. Bake until filling is set, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Keep oven at 350.

·

Make meringue topping: Put egg whites and 1/2 cup granulated sugar in the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form.

· Using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon, spread meringue over filling, swirling to create soft peaks. Bake until meringue begins to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool completely. Cut into bars. Bars can be refrigerated in an airtight container, up to 1 day.

Just some notes. I didn't use the right kind of pan for this, but i always remember my grandmother using a dish, so i used it too. I would recommend heavily greasing (or buttering) if you're using a glass dish, it doesn't burn, but crisps the edges nicely. The top is very sticky, so don't cover it if you can avoid it, i lost half of my meringue in transport.

Have fun cooking!

~Morgan,

Kreature of Habit